Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Intestinal parasites in Finnish cats and treatment habits
By Näreaho, Anu et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2012·Department of Veterinary Biosciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Feline intestinal parasites in Finland: prevalence, risk factors and anthelmintic treatment practices.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study in Finland found that 5.4% of cats tested positive for a common intestinal parasite called Toxocara cati, which can cause health issues. The research also showed that outdoor access and a diet of homemade food increased the risk of infection. Many cat owners treated their pets with deworming medications several times a year to prevent these parasites. Keeping your cat indoors and feeding a balanced diet can help reduce the chances of infection.
People also search for: cat intestinal parasites treatment · Toxocara cati symptoms in cats · how often to deworm a cat
Abstract
The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of feline intestinal parasites in Finland and to determine the possible risk factors for infection. Altogether 411 feline fecal samples were analyzed with a flotation method to reveal helminth eggs and protozoan oocysts. Of the samples, 402 were also screened for Giardia species antigens with a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. The cat owners completed a questionnaire. Toxocara cati prevalence was 5.4% and Toxascaris leonina 0.2%. Taenia species eggs were found in 1.5% of the samples and Isospora felis in 0.7%, whilst 3.2% of the samples tested positive for Giardia species antigen. Risk factors for Toxocara/Toxascaris species infection included being a non-pedigree cat, having access to the outdoors, living outside of the cities and receiving home-made food. Pedigree cats were at greater risk of contracting Giardia duodenalis. The majority of the cat owners (62.4%) treated their cat with anthelmintics 2-4 times per year.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22328587/